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'It's as simple as that. 'Those two, them'. Absolutely not, no. It'll probably work perfectly nicely on Channel 4. They don't have to get many viewers to be pleased.

'Mary'll get her own thing and Mel and Sue'll get their own thing and everyone will be happy.'

Leave it to the professionals: She said she would not want to replace stalwarts Sue Perkins (left) and actress Mel Giedroyc (right)

The state of the new show - which the channel spent a whopping £75million for earlier this year - has gone from bad to worse since its stalwart presenters decided to call it a day.

It was revealed on Saturday that there will be no Comic Relief Bake Off in the run up to Christmas, either.

According to newspaper, the four-part charity series, which would see Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry judge together one last time on the BBC, was refused by Love Productions.

Bad to worse: According to The Mirror, Love Productions have refused to make the Comic Relief Bake Off - choosing to produce their own charity version on Channel 4 instead

According to the paper, the BBC wanted to continue their tradition of a charity spin-off, which sees celebrity contestants compete in the famous Bake Off tent.

However it has been reported that the show's owners, Love Productions, have refused the offer - opting to create their own charity version in aid of Stand Up To Cancer instead, once it has moved to Channel 4.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: 'We would have loved a Bake Off Comic Relief special, but Love Productions refused to make it.

'They have now moved to Channel 4 and are making a charity programme with them – with which we wish them well.'

It really is over: A spokesperson for the BBC confirmed: 'We would have loved a Bake Off Comic Relief special, but Love Productions refused to make it'

Saunders, best known for being Dawn's sidekick in their comedy heyday, won The Great Comic Bake Off in Series 2.

She quickly shot down reports that she and Dawn would be the new duo behind the presenting gig though, in a Tweet from the start of October.

She said: 'Its complete boll**ks that Dawn and I are 'lined up' to take over Great British Bake off. (sic)'

The decision is undoubtedly a disappointing one for both the BBC and the show's 15 million-strong fan base - with whopping 14 million of those tuning into the final on Wednesday night.

However the Mirror further claims that Love Productions contacted the BBC about a potential charity series back in June - but they received no reply.

An insider at the TV company said: 'It is preposterous nonsense and nothing more than a half-baked accusation to suggest Love were willing to make a Comic Relief special when in fact they refused.

Gutted: The decision is a disappointing one for the show's 15 million-strong fan base - with a whopping 14 million tuning into watch Candace win the final on Wednesday

'It's since become very clear they never had any interest in continuing to make it for the BBC and they are moving to Channel 4. We absolutely wanted to do another series of Comic Relief Bake Off and made that very clear to Love.'

Love Productions outraged fans in September when it re-commissioned the show to Channel 4 as part of a £75million deal.

In a statement about the move, the BBC said at the time: 'Working with Love Productions, we have grown and nurtured the programme over seven series and created the huge hit it is today.

'We made a very strong offer to keep the show but we are a considerable distance apart on the money. The BBC's resources are not infinite.

Farewell: Love Productions outraged fans in September when it re-commissioned the show to Channel 4 as part of a £75million deal

'GBBO is a quintessentially BBC programme. We hope Love Productions change their mind so that Bake Off can stay ad free on BBC One.'

Meanwhile Jay Hunt, Channel 4's chief creative officer said: 'Channel 4 is very proud to be the new home for The Great British Bake Off.

'I'm delighted we have been able to partner with the hugely talented team at Love Productions to keep this much loved show on free-to-air television.'

The show then took another blow when beloved hosts Mel and Sue, and judge Mary Berry announced they would be not be taking part in the show during its stint on Channel 4.

Despite Paul remaining on board, the new version of the show is now not expected to hit screens until 2018 due to a contractual issue.

The Comic and Sport relief Bake Off has been an institution on the BBC since the show first began - with a celebrity special in aid of the charities airing every year since 2012.

End of an era: The Comic and Sport relief Bake Off has been an institution on the BBC since the show first began - with a celebrity special in aid of the charity airing every year since 2012